Title: Take My Love

Summary: When Castle discovers that Kate has never seen his favorite TV show, he insists that they watch it together. Oneshot. Post Undead Again fluff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. I do not own Firefly, either, for that matter.

Spoilers: Spoilers for Undead Again. None really for Always. I've watched the promos but have been trying to stay away from everything else.

And spoilers for Firefly. But really, who hasn't seen Firefly? If you haven't seen Firefly, go watch it. It's on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and just about everywhere else. I'm sure a friend, family member, or kindly neighbor has a copy you can borrow. Go watch it. I'll wait.

A/N: After reading through Nathan Fillion's Firefly marathon tweets and beginning my own re-watch of Firefly, this story sort of came to mind. It may have been done before, but here's my take. Some fluff before Always.

"I can't believe you've never watched this how! It's a cult classic!"

Kate shrugged from her position on the couch. They had popcorn, chocolate, sodas, and Twizzlers sat out on the coffee table, ready for the marathon he had talked her into watching. "I'm more of a book person. You know that, Castle."

"Says the woman who watches Temptation Lane," he teased.

"That's different."

"Well, you'll like this. I know you will. This show revolutionized science fiction as we know it."

Rolling her eyes at him, Kate responded, "Didn't you say it was canceled after twelve episodes?"

"Which makes it the perfect show for a Sunday television watching marathon."

Without further discussion, Castle hit the play button on his DVD player and the opening scene of the pilot episode began to play. Grabbing up the bowl of popcorn, he settled back onto the couch, deliberately invading Kate's space such that their shoulders and thighs were touching. Making no comment on this arrangement, Kate simply shook her head and smiled to herself.

The first scene portrayed a futuristic battle with a mixture of conventional and technologically advanced weaponry. After several minutes of the characters running around attempting to defend an obviously indefensible position, Kate remarked, "That guy kind of looks like you."

"You think so?" he asked coyly, although from the way his chest puffed out, it was obvious he agreed.

"Yeah, around the eyes a little."

The episode continued and Kate allowed the dialogue and the scenery to wash over her. She enjoyed the action and the humor, the details and how each new character was introduced. By the time the federal officer was unveiled, her eyes were completely glued to the screen.

She let out a shout when Kaylee was shot and glared at Castle. He simply held up his hands in defense and said, "I promise, she doesn't die."

"I like Kaylee," she told him, lip stuck out in a pout.

"Really? I would have pegged you more as a Zoey fan."

"I like Zoey, too," she admitted. Zoey was bad-ass but Kaylee had the kind of likeable character that was almost universally appealing.

"You know who you remind me of, actually?" Castle asked. Before she could answer the hypothetical question, he pronounced, "Inara."

"The companion? I remind you of a prostitute?" she demanded. "More than the warrior woman or the savvy mechanic?"

"Well..." he stuttered, looking between her and the television.

"Well?"

"Inara's pretty."

"They're all pretty. It's a TV show."

"Inara's smart and..." He struggled for more of an explanation, "...she's got dark hair?"

Putting Castle out of his misery, Kate smirked at him and settled back against the couch to watch the show. "Admit it. I remind you of Inara because the Captain has the hots for her."

He didn't say anything in response. His uncontained, gloating smile said it all.

Time passed as they continued watching, the couch and Castle's warmth growing more enticing as Kate sank further into the comfort of both. After a while she remarked, "The Captain's kind of a jackass."

"I know. Isn't it awesome?"

"But he's very protective of the others."

"The best captains are," Castle stated.

A few minutes later, Kate said, "You know who you remind me of?"

"Mal?"

She rolled her eyes. "Besides him. And the more I watch, the more you two don't look anything alike."

"Then who? Jayne?" he threw out.

"Actually, you kind of remind me of Wash."

Castle remained very still and very quiet for a handful of seconds before turning to look at her in disbelief. "What?" he cried.

"He's funny," she defended. "What's wrong with Wash?"

"The man plays with dinosaurs!"

Kate laughed, noting, "Well I guess in space, they don't have cell phones to play Angry Birds."

Turning his attention back to the television, Castle murmured quietly, "I can't believe I remind you of Wash."

"I don't know why you're offended. He's useful even though he doesn't carry a gun. He uses humor to defuse tense situations. And he somehow managed to win the heart to Zoey, who doesn't strike me as a woman easily wooed."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Castle cocked his head to the side as he watched the characters in question and said, "So I take it you identify with Zoey?"

Smiling, Kate acknowledged, "She's pretty bad-ass."

As the episodes continued to play in sequential order, Kate grabbed Castle's hand in surprise as the sole Reaver survivor on the abandoned ship attacked Jayne. She held it through the end of the episode and into the next.

"I wanted a dress like that when I was a little girl," she commented on the pink ruffled outfit Kaylee admired in the store window.

"You never got one?"

She shook her head. "I had other dresses, but nothing as elaborate as that."

The wistfulness in her voice was unusual and Castle savored it for a moment as his mind attempted to conjure the image of a young Kate Beckett in pink ruffles and ribbons.

"Well, it's never too late to live out childhood fantasies," he comment.

"Why bother when there are so many adult fantasies to enjoy?" she shot back. As if to emphasize her point, she removed her hand from his and placed it on his thigh before looking back at the screen.

Castle's mind wandered through the rest of the episode as he simply reveled at the feel of her touch. By the time his on-screen hero had declared himself to be a good man (or an all right one), she was leaning against him even more than before. Her body was warm even through the fabric of her shirt, and stray wisps of her hair had found their way past the collar of his shirt to tickle his neck.

As the next episode began and Kate started to single along with the theme, he briefly lost himself in the rich musical quality of her voice as it repeated those familiar, comforting words. He had heard her sing before, and hum occasionally, but he wondered if there was a way to get her to sing more often. He was so lost in ponderings that he did not even realize she had paused the episode until he noticed that she was no longer leaning against him but rather staring at him intently in the sudden silence.

"Huh?" he managed, wondering how long he had been day dreaming.

"I asked if you wanted to take a quick break," she repeated.

The absolute last thing he wanted was to have her further separate her body from his, but he simply answered, "Sure."

While Kate disappeared into the bathroom, Castle poured himself a glass of water. The two of them had been getting closer of late, and Kate's internal wall seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. Their recent zombie case had led them to conversations about undead and immortal creatures, which had resulted in a lively debate crossing a number of science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. That was, until their conversation had come to a screeching halt when Castle realized Kate had never watched Firefly.

She had asked if he was talking about the movie with Kevin Costner, which he had pointed out was actually Dragonfly. So not the same thing as Firefly.

"You have to see it," he had declared. "My place. Sunday morning. We are having a marathon."

Castle had expected her to refuse, to claim to be busy or on call or just uninterested. But she surprised him.

Smiling enigmatically, she simply asked, "What should I bring?"

"Just yourself," he said, although in hind sight he wished he'd told her to bring pajamas so they could turn it into a sleep-over.

He was still considering the activities he would prefer to enjoy with Kate at a sleep-over more than watching television when she emerged from the bathroom.

"You ready, Castle?" she asked, reclaiming her seat on the couch.

He quickly crossed the room and took a seat next to her before answering, "Press play."

Not wanting to presume anything, he left a little room between them as he sat down. But within seconds, Kate had eliminated the distance by scooting closer. "I don't bite, Castle," she admonished him teasingly, then said under her breath, "Much."

"I'm surprised he didn't sleep with her," Kate said, referring to Mal and Saffron, who had just propositioned the captain in his own bunk.

"Maybe she's not his type," Castle answered.

"He doesn't strike me as the kind of man to have a 'type'."

"Maybe he's afraid of the 'special hell'."

She shook her head. "That's not it, either."

"You think it's because he'd rather be with Inara?" He posed the question carefully, turning to look at her as he listened intently for her answer.

Kate kept her attention on the show as she remarked, "That's part of it, I think. But more than that, I think it shows a sort of... honor. He doesn't want to take advantage-"

She stopped speaking as Mal commented, "Oh, I'm going to the special hell."

Snorting as the drugged captain fell to the floor, she muttered, "Serves him right." And then a few minutes later, "See? Inara didn't fall for that crap."

"Inara is pretty bad-ass, too," Castle commented.

"I would have shot her." Then she paused, turned to him and added, "Politely."

Castle did not even bother to contain his amusement and spent the rest of the episode watching Kate's reactions more than the actual show.

By the time it was over and the crew had tracked down Saffron, Kate had settled back against him and recaptured one of his hands in hers. The intimacy of the gesture was important, and Castle very deliberately put his free arm around her shoulders. She stiffened a bit at the movement, but quickly relaxed again. He thought she may have even sighed.

"They're cute," she commented of Mal and Inara in the final scene.

"Almost as cute as you."

He snuck a glance just in time to spot her pleased but embarrassed smile.

By the time Jayne was forced to confess his less-than-altruistic reasons for dropping cash out of his transport, Kate's eyes were growing heavy. They had been watching television for close to six straight hours, and the warm and comfortable spot she had found in Castle's arms was beginning to lull her to sleep.

"You have to stay awake long enough to see the next one," Castle whispered in her ear. "It's one of my favorites."

Kate nodded and agreed with a sleepy , " 'm kay."

She was leaning on him heavily, and any distance between them was a distant memory as she slipped lower and lower until her head was across his lap and resting on his other arm. As Castle watched Mal struggle against blood loss and rapidly dwindling oxygen, he heard Kate's breathing change to the regular, even sounds of slumber.

"You almost made it," he told the sleeping woman. He looked around for the remote control, wanting to pause the show so Kate could continue to watch it later once she had woken up. But the remote was on the coffee table, out of reach. And as he glanced down at the peaceful expression on her face as she literally lay in his arms, Castle could think of no earthly reason to wake her up.

Instead, he settled back to watch his favorite adventurers plan an Oceans 11-style heist of an Alliance hospital. Absently, he let his free hand run through Kate's hair, the brown waves like silk between his fingers. She looked so beautiful, and his heart beat rapidly at the thought of what might happen between them once that wall finally came tumbling down. Would they spend days like this, wrapped up on the couch together watching old movies and TV shows? Would she fall asleep in his arms at night? Or would they even make it out of bed?

Perhaps roused by the feel him touching her hair, Kate stirred slightly. Peeking her eyes open, she asked, "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes, you did."

"What did I miss?" she asked, making no attempt to move from his lap.

"I can rewind it, if you want-" he began to offer, but she shook her head.

"That's okay. We can always go back later. But you should have woken me."

Smiling down at her, Castle gently caressed her hair again. "You looked like you needed the sleep."

"I feel like I got a full night's worth. You have a magic couch here, Castle."

"Or a magic lap?" he countered.

"That remains to be seen, doesn't it?" she teased him saucily. He hid his disappointment as she pulled herself back up to a sitting position but was rewarded with an unguarded, tender smile.

"Why, Detective Beckett, are you propositioning me?" he threw back at her.

Before answering, she leaned back against him again, this time pulling his arms around her. "I'm just watching my favorite episode. I love the part at the end with Mal and Jayne," she answered cheekily.

Castle almost did not register her response, he was so caught up in the feel of having her fully in his arms. "Your favorite episode..."

Turning to look at him over her shoulder, Kate continued, "You didn't really think I'd never seen Firefly before, did you? What rock did you think I was living under all these years?"

"I can't believe you..."

He was speechless, but running their conversation through his head, he realized that she had never actually said she hadn't seen it. He had simply assumed as much. But still, she had continued the deception all day, pretending to discuss characters as though she were seeing them for the first time when in reality, she was apparently just as familiar with them as he was.

"Just for that, you must be punished," he declared. "The tickling will commence-"

"Castle, don't you dare!"

"-now."

She squirmed in his grasp as his fingers found the delicate skin at her sides, and she simultaneously issued a series of undignified shrieks along with several shouts of "Castle!" and "No!"

Unfortunately, she was a fully trained NYPD officer and he could not hold her for long. She was soon off the couch and out of his arms, standing a few feet away with the posture of a skittish cat about to bolt. As he stood up, she pointed a finger at him and warned, "Don't you come any closer!"

"I won't tickle you," he lied, holding his hands up.

"I will hurt you, Castle."

He lunged for her at the same time she retreated, and the chase began.

A little while later, the tickling session having ended with him in an uncomfortable arm lock across the back of the couch, they returned to the episode marathon.

"So who is your favorite character?" Castle demanded. "It's Zoey, isn't it? I bet it's Zoey."

"Kaylee, actually. But I'm also pretty partial to Jayne."

"Jayne?" he demanded.

Kate shrugged. "What? He's so cliché that it's funny. But, now that I think about it, does he remind you of anyone?"

On the screen, Jayne was proudly wearing a ridiculous red, orange, and yellow hat made for him by his mother. Bits of straw still stuck to it from the shipping box.

"Yeah, now that you mention it. But I can't put my finger on who."

"I don't know. I might be imagining it. I swear, the other day, for just a minute, I thought my therapist looked like Worf from Star Trek."

Raising an eyebrow, Castle commented, "That's weird. And I never knew you were a Star Trek fan."

"Oh so many layers to the Beckett onion..." she said, repeating her words from long ago. "What about you - favorite character?"

"Mal," he said without hesitation.

"Of course." She rolled her eyes.

"What do you mean, of course?"

"That's so predictable, Castle."

She looked at him with shrewd, discerning eyes. "You even have a Malcolm Reynolds costume, don't you?"

He blinked at her before looking away. "I plead the fifth."

"Oh my God, you do? That was a total guess, Castle, from what you said earlier about Kaylee's dress... you have a Mal costume? Really?"

Her enthusiasm was so endearing, he smirking at her and answered, "Maybe if you're a very good girl, I'll put it on for you."

Kate bit her lip. "I don't know, Castle. That might be more than I can handle."

They were sitting close again, so close that it would be easy to just lean in and let his lips meet hers. Her eyes darted down towards his mouth, then back up to his eyes, and he realized she was probably thinking the same thing. But those eyes - so dark and full of doubt. Castle did not want to push her, did not want this thing between them to be just something that happened. He wanted her to come to him willingly, fully of her own volition. When she was ready.

Turning his gaze back to the television, he broke the moment and asked, "Do you want to watch the last couple of episodes?"

She seemed grateful for the distraction. "Yeah, might as well. We've come this far."

A while later, after the credits replaced the image of Jubil Early tumbling through space, Kate and Castle lay asleep together on the couch, with Castle on his back, head turned towards the television and Kate draped across his chest. Perhaps it was too soon for more. But that wall was definitely coming down.

A/N: Be sure to feed the fanfic authors (with reviews) because a long summer (or winter, depending where you are) is coming, and fanfic helps combat the insanity.